The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a surge in online grocery delivery service orders, causing long wait times and even shutting out some customers altogether.
Some people use "Instacart" or "Peapod." Others have the McDevitt family from Billerica.
"We are picking up groceries from the senior center, dropping them off at the senior's home. Our volunteers also will pick up — sometimes they don't have fresh eggs or milk — and the volunteers will just run out, get those things," said Deb McDevitt, who started Community Caregivers US with her husband, Tom, and daughters, Alexa and Cailey.
Since March, they've made about 300 deliveries and grown to include 200 volunteers.
But they also offer other free services.
"We'll make some small talk," Alexa McDevitt said. "We'll ask them how they're doing, if they need anything. Really like a 5-minute interaction."
Community Caregivers offers what they call Care Calls, phone calls to seniors, including those without family, to periodically check-in and chat.
"It really helps to talk to them, and then if they need anything else, they can ask us if we can get it for them," Cailey McDevitt said.
The McDevitt's are in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
